Tradescantia plant named ‘Regal Charm’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Tradescantia  plant characterized by yellow gold to yellow green foliage, deep violet flowers, a compact clumping habit, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Tradescantia Andersoniana Group.

Variety designation: ‘Regal Charm’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Tradescantia, given the name, ‘Regal Charm’. Tradescantia is in the family Commelinaceae. This new variety is from a planned breeding cross for yellow foliage, compact Tradescantia. The new cultivar is a seedling from the cross of Tradescantia ‘Sunshine Charm’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,480), as the seed parent and Tradescantia 28-2 a proprietary, unnamed seedling, as the pollen parent. Compared to the seed parent, Tradescantia ‘Sunshine Charm’, the new cultivar has deep violet rather than dark pink flowers. Compared to the pollen parent, Tradescantia 28-2, the new cultivar has yellow gold to yellow green foliage rather than green foliage. Compared to Tradescantia ‘Blue and Gold’ (syn. ‘Sweet Kate’) (unpatented), the new cultivar has a more compact habit and deep violet rather than blue flowers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This plant exhibits the following characteristics that make it unique:

-   -   1. a compact clumping habit,     -   2. yellow gold to yellow green foliage,     -   3. deep violet flowers, and     -   4. excellent vigor.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and micropropagation). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and micropropagation as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a two-year-old Tradescantia ‘Regal Charm’ growing in the garden in part shade late spring in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Tradescantia cultivar based on observations of two-year-old specimens grown outside in part shade in the garden in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Upright clumping.         -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Cold hardiness.—USDA Zone 4-9.         -   Size.—Grows to 55 cm wide and 28 cm tall to the top of the             foliage and flowers.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Stem.—Flowering, oval in cross section, swollen at nodes and             leafy, grows to 8 mm wide and 19 cm tall to the last leaf,             glabrous, internodes range from 3 to 11 cm long, Yellow             Green 145B at mid stem and streaked to strongly tinted             Greyed Purple N186C at base.         -   Roots.—Thick and fleshy, plants root easily from nodes or             crown division. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Shape.—Linear-lanceolate.         -   Venation.—Parallel.         -   Leaf description.—Grows to 41 cm long and 17 mm wide,             pleated at midrib toward the base, margin entire, tip             acuminate, base sheathing, glabrous inside and out except             near base where villous on margin.         -   Leaf color.—Varies with light, top and bottom side, ranges             from Yellow 13B on top half and on margins to base, midrib             to center base Yellow Green 144C, veins on sheaths Greyed             Purple N186C. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Terminal umbel-like cyme subtended by 1 or 2 leafy             bracts (smaller than the leaves, otherwise the similar, grow             to 32 cm long, 18 mm wide, linear lanceolate, top and bottom             side Yellow 13B to Yellow Green 144C at the base).         -   Number of flowers per cyme.—Up to 30.         -   Size of inflorescence.—5.5 cm tall and 6.5 cm wide.         -   Peduncle.—6.5 cm long and 4 mm wide, glabrous, Yellow 13C in             sun and Yellow Green 151B in shade.         -   Pedicel.—20 mm long and 1.2 mm wide, glabrous, flattened,             Purple N77B.         -   Bloom period.—Late May through July in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—12 mm long and 7 mm wide at the widest point prior to             opening.         -   Description.—Ovoid.         -   Surface texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—Yellow Green 145A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Actinomorphic to irregular, single.         -   Size.—38 mm wide and 12 mm deep.         -   Corolla description.—3 petals, each broadly ovate in shape,             each 18 mm wide and 20 mm long, margins entire on sides with             top ⅓ sometimes with notches, tip variable from acute to             obtuse to notched, base obtuse, glabrous on both sides, top             side Violet N87A except center base where N87B, bottom side             Violet N87C to Violet N87A on edges.         -   Calyx description.—3 sepals, 10 mm long and 6 mm wide,             pubescent outside and glabrous inside, ovate, cupped,             entire, acute, Yellow Green 144A inside and out, margins             Greyed Purple 187B.         -   Pistil description.—1 in number, 11 mm long, ovary 2 mm             long, Yellow Green 145D, style 6 mm long, Violet 86A; stigma             White NN155A.         -   Stamen description.—6 in number, 10 mm long, filaments 8 mm             long and to 6 mm wide with long hairs, filaments and hairs             Violet 86A, anthers reniform in shape, 1 mm long, Yellow             13A, pollen Yellow 13B.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—A cyme blooms for about 4 weeks on the plant, a             flower lasts about a day. -   Fruit/seed: Fruit a 3-valved, 3-loculed capsule, low fertility,     seeds oval, 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, Brown N200A. -   Pests and diseases: Tradescantia Andersoniana Group is known to be     susceptible viruses, aphids, and spider mites. The new cultivar has     no known resistances but has shown no problems in Canby, Oreg. 

1. A new and distinct Tradescantia plant as shown and described herein. 